Periodic Reporting for period 1 - WOLFRAM2 (Attracting Postdoctoral Researchers in any Research Field to the Basque Country)
Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-12-31
WOLFRAM2 is framed around an already well and successfully established postdoctoral fellowship programme in the Basque region which will run for 72 months. Within the programme, the beneficiary, Ikerbasque, will offer 36 fellowship positions for incoming postdoctoral fellows. Each fellowship/contract will last for 60 months, being implemented in the framework of WOLFRAM2 at least 36 months. The remaining fellowship duration not covered by WOLFRAM2 will be fully taken over by the hosting institutions and Ikerbasque in all terms (financial, training and supervision). Fellows will be able to carry out their projects in any of the 23 partner organisations hosting them (list provided in sec. 3.3). Each fellowship will be complemented by a secondment of up to 6 months (can be split in two or three shorter stays) at institutions outside of Spain, from a different sector, and of the fellows’ choice in line with their career development plan.
WOLFRAM2 offers fellowships to candidates from all nationalities according to the MSCA mobility criteria (see below), and with a wide range of research options. We guarantee an open, fair, transparent and merit-based selection and evaluation procedure, based on the quality of the applicants’ CVs and the innovative project proposed. Candidates have the freedom to choose their host institution according to their scientific profile and career development plan in line with the MSCA principle of freedom of choice for subject and destination.
The goal of WOLFRAM2 is to equip candidates with professional training opportunities in core scientific, complementary scientific and transferable skills in order to ensure a high-level impact for their future careers both in and outside the academic sector. This is in line with the European Commission’s policy goals for training researchers to tackle future societal challenges. WOLFRAM2, covering such a broad thematic spectrum, e.g. in environmental sciences or life sciences, will definitely contribute both in the formation of a pool of skilled researchers doing their part in fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and in the implementation of the RIS3 strategy of the Basque Country.
WOLFRAM2 offers fellowships to candidates from all nationalities according to the MSCA mobility criteria (see below), and with a wide range of research options. We guarantee an open, fair, transparent and merit-based selection and evaluation procedure, based on the quality of the applicants’ CVs and the innovative project proposed. Candidates have the freedom to choose their host institution according to their scientific profile and career development plan in line with the MSCA principle of freedom of choice for subject and destination.
The goal of WOLFRAM2 is to equip candidates with professional training opportunities in core scientific, complementary scientific and transferable skills in order to ensure a high-level impact for their future careers both in and outside the academic sector. This is in line with the European Commission’s policy goals for training researchers to tackle future societal challenges. WOLFRAM2, covering such a broad thematic spectrum, e.g. in environmental sciences or life sciences, will definitely contribute both in the formation of a pool of skilled researchers doing their part in fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and in the implementation of the RIS3 strategy of the Basque Country.
During the first periodic report (01/01/2022 – 31/12/2023) IKERBASQUE has achieved the set objectives in terms of number of calls launched and fellows recruited.
3 WOLFRAM2 calls were launched and implemented. CALL 1 was launched and implemented in advance, prior to the project start, in order to avoid delays in recruiting researchers. Indeed, CALL 1 was launched even before having received feedback from the EC about the positive evaluation of WOLFRAM2 (received on February 2021). CALL 2 was launched on the 12th January 2022 with deadline on the 15th March 2022, and CALL 3 was launched on the 11th January 2023 with deadline on the 15th March 2023.
By Months 24 of project execution, a total of 25 researchers have had been recruited and 332,60 fellow months (PMs) executed.
3 WOLFRAM2 calls were launched and implemented. CALL 1 was launched and implemented in advance, prior to the project start, in order to avoid delays in recruiting researchers. Indeed, CALL 1 was launched even before having received feedback from the EC about the positive evaluation of WOLFRAM2 (received on February 2021). CALL 2 was launched on the 12th January 2022 with deadline on the 15th March 2022, and CALL 3 was launched on the 11th January 2023 with deadline on the 15th March 2023.
By Months 24 of project execution, a total of 25 researchers have had been recruited and 332,60 fellow months (PMs) executed.
Europe is in need of highly skilled researchers. WOLFRAM2 is directly contributing to this need by recruiting excellent junior researchers and equiping them with the skillset to answer to the need of the European Research and Innovation Area.
Furthermore, WOLFRAM2 is also aligned with the latest report by the EC (May 2020) – “Science, Research and Innovation Performance of the EU 2020 – A fair, green and digital Europe”, which has outlined the following “An adequate supply of skilled human resources is vital for knowledge absorption and for the development of science and technology-intensive economic sectors.
On top of these key priorities, the COVID-19 pandemic has particularly damaged the career of early career researchers in Europe. The reference journal NATURE has published and editorial in June 2020 calling for specific actions to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in this target group . NATURE outlined the following “It is also worrisome that job opportunities for Early Career Researchers are rapidly diminishing during the pandemic. Academic institutions are facing unprecedented financial challenges (…). Efforts to counteract these challenges, for example hiring freezes, slowdowns in hiring and/or salary reductions may persist for years. Moreover, the international nature of the COVID-19 pandemic is adding barriers for those who require a visa and/or international travel to continue their careers”. For sure, WOLFRAM2 is contributing to counteract these challenges thanks to the 25 international researchers already recruited that complied with the mobility rule.
The European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc) has also published a statement named “The aftermath of the pandemic for early career researchers in Europe” , which outlines the following: “A European post-pandemic plan for early-career researchers. We hope that European institutions will be up to the challenge, and we call on them to elaborate a post-pandemic plan for early career researchers in Europe. The future of European early career researchers is the future of European research: we cannot afford to lose a generation of them. New challenges are ahead, and we need to be equipped to confront and overcome them.” Therefore, IKERBASQUE Foundation, through WOLFRAM2, is definitely contributing with its own early career researcher’s recruitment plan.
Moreover, the potential and future career perspectives of WOLFRAM2 research fellows will be significantly enhanced through the training goals:
• Free choice of their projects and host institution.
• Full integration into high-quality host institution and research groups under top-notch supervision.
• High-level scientific and training infrastructure.
• A bespoke training and career development programme with emphasis on transferable skills.
• Ample networking opportunities taking into account the triple-I dimension.
• Outlook on Open Innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Impact on the region.
Thanks to the developed skills and capacities, fellows will be able to become team leaders, develop their own research visions and access competitive funding opportunities and further job offers.
Furthermore, WOLFRAM2 is also aligned with the latest report by the EC (May 2020) – “Science, Research and Innovation Performance of the EU 2020 – A fair, green and digital Europe”, which has outlined the following “An adequate supply of skilled human resources is vital for knowledge absorption and for the development of science and technology-intensive economic sectors.
On top of these key priorities, the COVID-19 pandemic has particularly damaged the career of early career researchers in Europe. The reference journal NATURE has published and editorial in June 2020 calling for specific actions to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in this target group . NATURE outlined the following “It is also worrisome that job opportunities for Early Career Researchers are rapidly diminishing during the pandemic. Academic institutions are facing unprecedented financial challenges (…). Efforts to counteract these challenges, for example hiring freezes, slowdowns in hiring and/or salary reductions may persist for years. Moreover, the international nature of the COVID-19 pandemic is adding barriers for those who require a visa and/or international travel to continue their careers”. For sure, WOLFRAM2 is contributing to counteract these challenges thanks to the 25 international researchers already recruited that complied with the mobility rule.
The European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc) has also published a statement named “The aftermath of the pandemic for early career researchers in Europe” , which outlines the following: “A European post-pandemic plan for early-career researchers. We hope that European institutions will be up to the challenge, and we call on them to elaborate a post-pandemic plan for early career researchers in Europe. The future of European early career researchers is the future of European research: we cannot afford to lose a generation of them. New challenges are ahead, and we need to be equipped to confront and overcome them.” Therefore, IKERBASQUE Foundation, through WOLFRAM2, is definitely contributing with its own early career researcher’s recruitment plan.
Moreover, the potential and future career perspectives of WOLFRAM2 research fellows will be significantly enhanced through the training goals:
• Free choice of their projects and host institution.
• Full integration into high-quality host institution and research groups under top-notch supervision.
• High-level scientific and training infrastructure.
• A bespoke training and career development programme with emphasis on transferable skills.
• Ample networking opportunities taking into account the triple-I dimension.
• Outlook on Open Innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Impact on the region.
Thanks to the developed skills and capacities, fellows will be able to become team leaders, develop their own research visions and access competitive funding opportunities and further job offers.